


Is It Moving Too Fast (If I Feel I’ve Known You All My Life)

by normalcatbehaviour



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-05
Updated: 2014-09-05
Packaged: 2018-02-16 06:32:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2259534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/normalcatbehaviour/pseuds/normalcatbehaviour
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He’d kind of assumed that was the end of that. Hot Tattoo Guy would be the one that got away. But then Hot Tattoo Guy became Hot Tattooed Librarian and now, sitting at his desk at home, trying to focus on literally anything else, Stiles realises this is his second chance.</p><p>He’s not going to mess it up this time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Is It Moving Too Fast (If I Feel I’ve Known You All My Life)

**Author's Note:**

> Not beta'd (again, I'm so sorry). Feel free to point out any mistakes I missed.
> 
> I had a dream about Derek being a part time tattoo artist/part time librarian so he got to work with both his sisters. This isn't that story, but it is where this all started, I guess.

“Holy fuck, Lydia,” Stiles gasps, gripping Lydia by the arm. “Oh my god, oh my _God_.”

“Stiles, remove your hand before I remove it for you,” Lydia says not bothering to look up from the book she’s currently reading.

“Sorry,” Stiles says, quickly taking his hand away. He knows not to ignore Lydia’s threats, her nails are _sharp_. “But, Lydia, it’s _him_ It’s hot tattoo guy!”

Lydia turns the page pointedly, looks over to Stiles for a second, her face the picture complete disinterest, before going back to her book.

“Why is he here?” Stiles continues, undeterred “Why is he _behind the desk?_ Oh my God, hot tattooed _librarian_. I’m going to marry him. Lydia, will you please stop reading for one second to look at my future husband?!” 

Lydia sighs before marking her place on the page and looking up.

“I swear to God, Stilinski, I’m never coming to the library with you again when I have actual work to do. I’m never going to get all my summer reading done in time if you keep distracting me with – oh wow, he really is hot. Damn.”

Stiles mentally fist pumps.

“I told you!” Stiles says victoriously. “Jesus, I think he actually got hotter. How is this fair?”

“Life isn’t fair,” Lydia says plainly. “Now either stop talking or go far, far away where I can’t hear you.”

Stiles does the wise thing and makes a hasty retreat home. He has a lot to think about.

-

It had all started with Scott wanting a tattoo.

“I’m finally old enough. It’s happening, and you’re coming with me, no arguments,” Scott had said. “I’ll even hold your hand, ok?”

“I’m pretty sure we’re getting the hand holding backwards,” Stiles had laughed, “but alright. I guess I’ll endure being around needles for you, bro.”

“Aw, Stiles,” Scott had cooed. “If that’s not true friendship I don’t know what is.”

Stiles had tackled him to the floor, sat on him, and refused to move until Scott had begged for mercy.

A week later, Stiles’ amazing powers of internet research had led them to Triskele Tattoo, just outside Beacon Hills.

“You’re sure you want to do this?” he’d asked Scott. “Because tattoos are hot as fuck I’ll admit, but like, it’s ok to change your mind if you’re unsure or, you know, feeling a bit sick already at the thought of a needle puncturing you skin over and over-”

“I’m sure, Stiles,” Scott has interrupted, rolling his eyes slightly. “Come on, I’m not even getting the tattoo today, just talking through the design and setting up an appointment. You can do this, Stiles.”

Scott grabbed his hand, tried unsuccessfully to tug him forward slightly, before turning to stand face to face with Stiles, eyes widening slightly. Oh, no. He wasn’t. He _wouldn’t_ bring out the big guns for this – damn it, he had.

“Curse you and your puppy dog eyes, Scott McCall,” Stiles had huffed, before following Scott inside.

He only made it a few steps in, though, before he froze. There, behind the reception desk, was the most beautiful man Stiles had ever seen. He almost wished that was an exaggeration, because he was pretty sure he was drooling, but he’s almost certain it wasn’t . 

The man was gorgeous; scruffy beard, beautiful eyes, adorable little ears, arms that could give hawkeye a run for his money, chest hair sneaking out of his v-neck and _so many tattoos_.

Yeah, Stiles was definitely drooling. 

“Hi,” Hot Tattoo Guy said smiling slightly. “Can I help you?”

“Hi,” Scott said excitedly, bouncing slightly on his heels. “I have an appointment with Laura? We spoke on the phone a couple of days ago and she said as long as the design was as simple as I made it sound, she could fit me in at about 4?”

That brought Stiles out of his trance.

“You liar!” he said, pointing at his best friend. “You said there would be no needles today! Such betrayal, I should have expected it when you pulled out the puppy dog eyes, you only use them in dire situations. Damn it, I’m not even mad now, mostly just disappointed in myself for falling for your dirty tricks.”

Scott almost looked sheepish, but Stiles new better. That was his smug face. Curse his choice of friends.

“You got ID?” Hot Tattoo Guy asked, laughing slightly.

Scott pulled out his wallet and passed his licence to Hot Tattoo Guy, whose eyes flickered over it briefly before nodding happily and handing it back. 

“Happy belated birthday,” he said kindly. “I’m assuming from your age this is your first tattoo?”

“Yeah,” said Scott, sounding slightly nervous now. Stiles moved towards him and nudged their shoulders together. Scott smiled at his gratefully before looking back to Hot Tattoo Guy who was looking down at the appointment book in front of him.

“You’re getting two solid bands around your bicep?” Hot Tattoo Guy checked.

Scott nodded, explaining the kind of size he was thinking.

“Ok, should be no problem,” Hot Tattoo Guy nodded thoughtfully. “Laura’s just finishing up. Have a seat if you want, she shouldn’t be too long. She’ll talk you through the process before she starts, make sure you’re happy with everything, and you should be done within the hour.”

-

Laura, it turns out, was hilarious. She’d kept both of them laughing as she prepped everything and so by the time the tattooing actually started they were both pretty comfortable.

Maybe too comfortable, in Stiles’ case. He gotten cocky and tried to take a look at what was happening but all he saw was a needle and blood and the next thing he knew, he was sitting in a different room with Hot Tattoo Guy crouched in front of him, a worried look on his face.

“Stiles?” he asked softly. “You passed out. Are you alright now?”

“Oh yeah,” Stiles said, even though he still felt a little dizzy. “Totally fine. Absolutely. 100%. Not feeling like I might throw up at the sight of any sort of sharp object _at all_.”

“Drink this slowly,” Hot Tattoo Guy instructed as he passed him a cup of water. “Why would you come with your friend to get a tattoo if you’re afraid of needles?”

“Hey! No judging me, I was only trying to be a good bro,” Stiles pouted. “If I hadn’t come with him he’d have been alone. Friends don’t let friends go to be stabbed by needles alone.”

Hot Tattoo Guy held up his hands in mock surrender. 

“I wasn’t judging you, I promise,” Hot Tattoo Guy said. “Just wondering. That’s a better reason than some I’ve heard, believe me.”

Stiles nodded, pleased, and went back to sipping his water.

“He should be done soon at least,” Hot Tattoo Guy offered as he stood up. “You going to be ok in here for a while? I should probably get back to the front desk.”

“Oh, sure. Thanks, man.” Stiles busied himself getting his phone out of his pocket while Hot Tattoo Guy turned and left.

From: Me  
To: Strawberry Blonde Queen of Everything  
 _EMERGENCY. MET THE LOVE OF MY LIFE IN ALL HIS HOT TATTOOED GLORY AND DID A DUMB THING. PLS ADVISE_

From: Strawberry Blonde Queen of Everything  
To: Me  
 _What dumb thing?_

From: Me  
To: Strawberry Blonde Queen of Everything  
 _I may have passed out slightly. Just a little. But there were NEEDLES involved Lyds we all knew it was never going to end well_

From: Strawberry Blonde Queen of Everything  
To: Me  
 _I see. Well, there’s definitely only one way to go at this point._

From: Me  
To: Strawberry Blonde Queen of Everything  
 _????_

From: Strawberry Blonde Queen of Everything  
To: Me  
 _move country, change your name, hope one day you can overcome the embarrassment, but it’s not looking likely, Stiles_

From: Me  
To: Strawberry Blonde Queen of Everything  
 _You’re right. You’re so right. I MISSED MY CHANCE AND NOW I’M GOING TO HAVE TO GO LIVE IN A CAVE SO I CAN AVOID ANY OTHER POTENTIAL EMBARRASSING SITUATIONS. I can’t live in a cave Lyds!! Who’s going to look after my dad if I’m living in a cave?_

From: Strawberry Blonde Queen of Everything  
To: Me  
 _oh calm down, Stiles! People probably faint there all the time, I doubt this is new territory for him. Get a grip and ask him out._

Stiles paused, he guessed it wasn’t such a bad idea? The worst he could say was no, right?

Right. He was asking this man out. Right now. Any second. It was going to happen.

-

It hadn’t happened. He’d somehow managed to avoid eye contact with Hot Tattoo Guy while Scott was paying, waved sheepishly to Laura, and dragged Scott out of there like his ass was on fire.

He’d kind of assumed that was the end of that. Hot Tattoo Guy would be the one that got away. But then Hot Tattoo Guy became Hot Tattooed Librarian and now, sitting at his desk at home, trying to focus on literally anything else, Stiles realises this is his second chance.

He’s not going to mess it up this time.

-

From: Me  
To: Strawberry Blonde Queen of Everything, Scott-a-Doodle-Doo  
 _Assistance required, operation woo HTL is a go. One of you better be free later to help me get ready._

From: Scott-a-Doodle-Doo  
To: Me  
 _HTL???_

From: Me  
To: Scott-a-Doodle-Doo  
 _HOT TATTOOED LIBRARIAN, SCOTT. KEEP UP._

From: Scott-a-Doodle-Doo  
To: Me  
 _He’s a librarian? How do you know? ARE YOU STALKING HIM?_

From: Me  
To: Scott-a-Doodle-Doo  
 _NO. Nvm will explain later_

From: Scott-a-Doodle-Doo  
To: Me  
 _Oh ok good. I mean I still would have helped but this makes me feel way less creepy so. I’ll be there bro! :-)_

Stiles thanks the universe every day for Scott McCall.

It takes Lydia five more minutes to answer, but it makes Stiles laugh all the same.

From: Strawberry Blonde Queen of Everything  
To: Me  
 _calling it operation woo HTL doesn’t change that fact that your entire plan is to sit in the library until he notices you, Stiles. But you know I can’t resist the chance to get you all dolled up so yes I’ll see you later_

From: Me  
To: Strawberry Blonde Queen of Everything  
 _ <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3_

He puts his phone down and finally takes a sip his coffee. He’s not sure what they put in the coffee here, but Stiles is 90% it involves some kind of magic. He moans slightly at the delicious taste and wonders how much it would take to bribe their secret out of them. He’s taking a second sip when he hears a voice from behind him.

“Stiles?” And fuck his life, seriously. Hot Tattooed Librarian is now standing in front of him. This wasn’t part of the plan. “I thought that was you. Do you mind if I sit here? There’s not really anywhere else left.”

Stiles nods, eyes wide, trying to form words.

“Uh,” he manages. The smile is slowly slipping off Hot Tattooed Librarian’s face and Stiles doesn’t understand what’s happening. Usually he can’t stop babbling, and now it’s like he can’t find his voice. Seriously, words would be so useful right now but Stiles thinks he’s maybe forgotten them all.

“You probably don’t remember me,” Hot Tattooed Librarian starts. “I was-”

“I remember you,” Stiles finally manages. “This just wasn’t part of my plan, so. Uh.”

“Your plan?” he asks, and Stiles pales.

“Uh. No. I didn’t say that. I have no plan. Just coffee. Do you want some coffee? Oh, wait, you already have coffee. There. In your hand. So we both have coffee, and I think we can agree that neither of us have a plan. I don’t even know your name! How could I be making plans about someone whose name I don’t know? I couldn’t, is the answer. In case you were wondering.” Stiles regrets ever missing the babbling.

“Derek,” Hot Tattooed Librarian interrupts.

“Uh, no. Stiles. But that’s ok. You stop me rambling, you can probably call me whatever. That’s probably a rule, right?”

Hot Tattooed Librarian laughs softly. “No, Derek’s my name. I thought you might want to know for future plan making reasons.”

“Oh!” Stiles blushes. “Right. That makes a lot more sense. Derek. It suits you.”

Derek tries to hide his smile behind his coffee cup but Stiles catches the edges of it. Stiles wants to see that smile every day, and the realisation that his second chance could slip away at any moment hits him like a punch.

He had a plan – a plan that actually might have worked, possibly – and part of Stiles wants to wait until he isn’t dressed in clothes with stains of unknown origin and frayed hems before he tries to woo this guy, but. 

But Derek came to sit with him regardless of his clothing choices. Actually, now that Stiles is paying attention, he notices that there’s only a handful of other people in the coffee shop, and plenty of empty tables. Had Derek wanted an excuse to sit with him? Or has Stiles been staring at Derek’s face long enough for a lot of people to leave without him noticing? Either way, should he even take the chance that Derek could be interested? Because he knows Lydia was joking, but if this ends badly he really might have to change his name and move to Mexico. He does love Mexican food, it might not be so bad.

He takes the chance.

“Derek,” Stiles begins. “Derek, I may have slightly lied to you. About the plan. And the fact that there wasn’t one. There totally was and it definitely involved you. Trying to woo you, to be more specific.”

Derek tilts his head slightly to the side, looking for all the world like a confused puppy. A very well built, tattooed, hot like burning puppy, but still.

“But how is that possible,” Derek teases. “You didn’t know my name.”

Well,” Stiles draws the word our while he considers his options. To go all in or to try to cling to the last remaining shreds of his dignity... Who’s he kidding, his dignity’s long gone. All in it is. “I may or may not have been referring to you as Hot Tattoo Guy which may or may not have changed to Hot Tattooed Librarian a few days ago, but you have no proof of either. Unless you steal my phone. Or talk to my friends. Or my Dad. Um, I should probably mention that I’ve been talking about you kind of a lot?”

There’s a silence in which Stiles is sure he’s ruined his chances, but just when he’s about to apologise and make a break for the border Derek takes the hand Stiles had been using to push his coffee cup around the table.

“I guess I was at an advantage,” Derek says. “I at least knew your name. I’ve been driving my sisters crazy these last few weeks, I think. Erica and Boyd too. Apparently I was moping. I just didn’t think I’d get to see you again and I... I really wanted to see you again.”

Stiles resists the urge to pinch himself to make sure he’s awake, but only just.

“Just to be clear, this isn’t a friend thing, right?” Stiles asks. He’s pretty sure, but he’s been wrong about this kind of thing before, and this is _Derek_ , he’s not risking it. “I mean, it’s a friend thing but it’s also _more_ than a friend thing, right? You want to do the more than friends thing? With me?”

He’s expecting Derek to be rolling his eyes, but he just looks fond. It’s a good look on him. Stiles kind of wants to cry. 

“I think most people call it dating,” Derek answers. “But yes, Stiles. I want to do the more than friends thing with you.”

Stiles is super proud of the restraint he shows by not climbing over the table to kiss Derek’s entire face. It’s a close call, but he manages. 

At least, he does until Derek quietly mentions how he knows it’s too soon to say it but he’s never been great at not falling hard and fast so maybe, one day in the distant future, they could do the more than dating thing as well. 

Stiles thinks maybe he should mention the fact that Derek’s had the footnote of future husband on his name since before he actually _knew_ his name, should maybe point out that he’s pretty sure they’re perfect for each other, maybe drop some hints about that distant future not being _too_ distant, but by that point, the table has been conquered and Stiles’ mouth has more important things to be doing than talking.

 

From: Me  
To: Strawberry Blonde Queen of Everything, Scott-a-Doodle-Doo  
 _UPDATE. Operation woo HTL is cancelled. Operation make sure Derek stays forever will be ongoing. Can’t explain now too busy touching mouths with the hottest guy in existence._

**Author's Note:**

> I’m trying so hard to figure out my characterisation of a Derek who hasn’t lost his family. I’m pretty sure this isn’t how I eventually want it, but I’ll get there eventually. Thank you for putting up with me in the mean time <3


End file.
